October 14, 2016

Premiere: Squirrel Flower - "Not Your Prey"

Listen to a new song from Boston's Squirrel Flower.

Squirrel Flower delivers heart-swelling beauty and elegant strokes of lyricism on her new single, “Not Your Prey,” off her sophomore release Contact Sports. Ella Williams' songwriting demonstrates a maturity from her
earlier releases with a newfound assurance, steadiness, and clarity to her voice. “Not Your Prey”
feels immediate, with an urgency of revealing your deepest secrets to a close friend in the late
hours of the night. Williams details a fraught and destructive relationship unfolding, singing,“I feel you
lurking on the moon / Hiding my back making me shiver.” Her honeyed vocals combine the
delicate croons of Angel Olsen with the heartfelt conviction of Mitski. Williams darkest moments
prove to be both empowering and unnerving, as though startled by her own strength. Her
confidence shines through with a searing autonomy, “If you touch me I won’t be still / I’m not your
predator / I’m not your prey / I’m not your kill.” Williams' voice rises over the distortion that kicks in
during the final minutes of the song, even her last words are enrapturing, “Give up all of my
belongings / The little things / Is to be free of the chains that keep me here lying in your arms.” At
one moment she feels empowered by her solitude (“alone I’m a star”) but then again, falling back
into the volatility of love. Contact Sports will be out via It Takes Time Records this winter and you can listen to "Not Your Prey" below.

Ella Williams on "Not Your Prey":

"The entire album deals with personal experiences embracing vulnerability and being radically comfortable within myself. "Not Your Prey" is largely about reclaiming spaces where I have felt unsafe and unable to take up space in a comfortable way. Maybe it’s a concert where the bands are all cis-men and singing misogynistic lyrics. Maybe it’s the music or art world in general. Maybe it’s a house party. The song is about my experience of working through that initial fear, and then taking back that space and reclaiming it as my own."

THIS STAFF POST WAS CONTRIBUTED BY:
Abbie Jones, who will sing along to every Liz Phair song at karaoke by heart and is always down to get milkshakes past midnight. When she isn't writing about music, she is playing drums in her band or hosting shows in her backyard.